Educator Credentialing Exams

The practice of having individuals validate their knowledge in specific subject areas, and pedagogical skills, is used by most educational institutions to credential instructors. This process ensures that candidates or current instructors possess the necessary retained knowledge to effectively teach their chosen subjects, regardless of institution or location. Educator credentialing serves as a tool to validate that individuals have mastered the competencies for each subject being taught.

Prerequisite

None

The HVAC Excellence Educator Credentialing exams are a series of written exams that identify if an individual possesses mastery of specific fundamental content areas they may be teaching. In addition, the core exam covers teaching and technical education methodologies, and pedagogical skills.

Benefits of HVACR Educator Credentialing Exams

There are numerus benefits to educator credentialing, including:

• Quality Assurance: It serves as a quality assurance mechanism, indicating that the teacher has met certain standards set by educational institutions or governing bodies.
• Professional Standards: It ensures that teachers possess the requisite knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to provide high-quality instruction to students.
• Accountability: By requiring teachers to meet specific qualifications and standards, it creates a framework for evaluating their effectiveness in the classroom.
• Continuous Professional Development: Credentialing requires ongoing professional development, which helps one stay apprised of technological advancements, codes, regulations, and new teaching methodologies.
• Student Confidence: When students know that their teachers are credentialed, they are more likely to have confidence in the quality of education being provided. It enhances trust in the educational system and promotes positive relationships between stakeholders.
• Reciprocity: Teaching credentials establish a national benchmark for selecting qualified professionals to lead a classroom or program.
• Professional Development Guidance: Credentialing exam results assist instructors in identifying areas of weakness where professional development is needed.

Certified Subject Matter Educator (CSME)

Individuals are encouraged to take exams that directly correlate with the competencies they teach or will be teaching. Additionally, all instructors should take the Teaching Methodologies, Principles, and Practices exam, which covers technical education methodologies, principles and practices, and attests to an instructor’s pedagogical skills.

For each CSME exam taken, a customized report is generated. This report serves to identify areas of strength and weakness to assist in the planning of future professional development. When an instructor receives a passing score of 80% or higher, they are awarded a CSME certificate for that specific content area and are posted in an official directory of Certified.

Upon passing a CSME exam, an instructor will receive a certificate of achievement. In addition, they will be listed in the official directory of CSME instructors.

Credentialing Exams Offered

Air Conditioning

100-question exam covering theory, equipment service, systems and components, troubleshooting, metering devices, & application.

Electrical

100-question exam covers safety, theory, components, meter usage, fundamentals of motors and capacitors, interpreting electrical diagrams, and troubleshooting.

Electric Heat

100-question exam covering electric heating theory, system components, equipment installation, service, airflow, application, troubleshooting, & safety.

Gas Heat

100-question exam covering combustion theory, heating system components, troubleshooting, furnace installation, service, troubleshooting, & heating safety.

Heat Pump

100-question exam covering components, controls, theory of the heat pump cycle, service, troubleshooting, & interpreting heat pump schematics.

Light Commercial Air Conditioning

100-question exam covering commercial AC systems, components, equipment installation, service, refrigeration theory, application, & troubleshooting.

Light Commercial Refrigeration

100-question exam covering equipment installation, service, refrigeration systems, components, refrigeration theory, application, & troubleshooting.

Oil Heat

100-question exam covering combustion theory, oil heating system components, troubleshooting, furnace installation, service, troubleshooting, & heating safety.

Teaching Methodologies, Principles, and Practices (Capstone)

50-question exam covers terms teaching methodologies, principles, class room environment and student situations, and management.

Who Can Administer Credentialing Exams

HVAC Excellence Educator Credentialing exams are closed-book, online examinations, administered by National College Testing Association approved testing centers, ProctorU, or under special circumstances by school administrators not affiliated with the HVACR program.

Certified Master HVACR Educator (CMHE)

For those instructors who have successfully passed seven specific CSME exams listed below, the title of Certified Master HVACR Educator "CMHE" is bestowed upon them.

The series of exams one must pass to earn the title of Certified Master HVACR Educator are:

All Certified Master HVACR Educators receive a wall plaque and are posted in an official directory of Certified Master HVACR Educators. Additionally, persons who have the title of CMHE bestowed upon them are recognized during the National HVACR Education Conference the following year.

Maintaining Credential

All credentialed individuals shall obtain a minimum of ten (10) Professional Development Hours (PDH) annually. The PDHs help ensure individuals are kept up to date on emerging technologies, teaching methods, and areas that relate directly to the technical content being taught. Additionally, to maintain the credentials conferred upon, instructors must obtain a minimum of one (1) PDH within the subject matter(s) specified within their certificates, within a period not to exceed five (5) years.

Employing and Maintaining Qualified HVACR Instructors

It should be noted that prior to hiring an individual to teach a course or program, they should not only demonstrate their retained knowledge through the credentialing process but be able to effectively convey these concepts. It is also recommended that the hiring process adheres to the Standards Established for Instructor Qualifications (9.1), and Continuing Education (9.2).